Thermoelectric Behavior of PbSe Single Crystals

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2016. Published by ECS. All rights reserved. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of PbSe single crystals grown by the Bridgman technique display metallic behavior. The Seebeck coefficient increases linearly with increasing temperature and showed positive Seebeck values, typically valid for a p-type PbSe crystal. The electronic thermal conductivity decreases with increase in temperature. The power factor increases gradually with temperature until the maximum value of 6.51 × 10− 3 W/mK 2 at 260 K, other values are 5.95 × 10− 3 W/mK 2 at 300 K, and 5.40 × 10− 3 W/mK 2 at 320 K. Our results demonstrate that as-grown PbSe crystal is generically p-type due to excess in Pb and can be a potential candidate for thermoelectric power generation.